Careers

Students pursuing their undergraduate degree in Computer Science or Computer Information
Systems in spite of the "conventional wisdom" ("jobs have gone overseas") have been
rewarded with exceptional career opportunities with excellent starting salaries. The
field is vast and includes opportunities in a variety of industries. Our graduates
have been placed in retail, manufacturing, defense, banking, transportation, telecommunications,
health care and many other disparate fields. That is an indication of how fundamental
this knowledge is to a host of disciplines.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts out the "Occupational Outlook Handbook" that can serve as a very useful guide to the diverse career tracks that can be targeted
by students taking up Computer Science or Information Systems.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics also compiles a lot of data on the economy, jobs and
labor pool. Relevant links with summaries are provided below:

Highest paid: In this category, you will find most of the Doctors, Judges, CEOS ... and Computer
Information Systems Managers. The employment data shows that the employment is almost
the same for CIS managers as all Physicians and Surgeons.

Occupation profiles: Check this link to learn about various occupation categories and the usual duties
expected of them. In the 15-0000 series ("Computer and Mathematical Occupations")
you will find descriptions for Systems Analysts, Information Security Analysts, software
developers and numerous others.

For instance, for "Software developers" (usually Computer Science) you will see the following:

Develop, create, and modify general computer applications software or specialized
utility programs. Analyze user needs and develop software solutions. Design software
or customize software for client use with the aim of optimizing operational efficiency.
May analyze and design databases within an application area, working individually
or coordinating database development as part of a team. May supervise computer programmers.

and for "Systems Analyst" (usually Computer Information Systems) you will see:

Analyze science, engineering, business, and other data processing
problems to implement and improve computer systems. Analyze user
requirements, procedures, and problems to automate or improve existing
systems and review computer system capabilities, workflow, and
scheduling limitations. May analyze or recommend commercially available
software.

In addition to data on jobs and salaries, the BLS site is a treasure trove of information on industries as well as employment by state and
region.